EP0230795A2 - Procédé et appareil pour emballer automatiquement des saucisses - Google Patents

Procédé et appareil pour emballer automatiquement des saucisses Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0230795A2
EP0230795A2 EP86401053A EP86401053A EP0230795A2 EP 0230795 A2 EP0230795 A2 EP 0230795A2 EP 86401053 A EP86401053 A EP 86401053A EP 86401053 A EP86401053 A EP 86401053A EP 0230795 A2 EP0230795 A2 EP 0230795A2
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
sausage
links
sausage links
group
container
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP86401053A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP0230795A3 (fr
Inventor
Georges Dagenais
Ghislain Michaud
Michel Presseau
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
EPICIERS UNIS METRO-RICHELIEU Inc
Original Assignee
EPICIERS UNIS METRO-RICHELIEU Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by EPICIERS UNIS METRO-RICHELIEU Inc filed Critical EPICIERS UNIS METRO-RICHELIEU Inc
Publication of EP0230795A2 publication Critical patent/EP0230795A2/fr
Publication of EP0230795A3 publication Critical patent/EP0230795A3/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
    • B65B35/00—Supplying, feeding, arranging or orientating articles to be packaged
    • B65B35/30—Arranging and feeding articles in groups
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
    • B65B19/00—Packaging rod-shaped or tubular articles susceptible to damage by abrasion or pressure, e.g. cigarettes, cigars, macaroni, spaghetti, drinking straws or welding electrodes
    • B65B19/34—Packaging other rod-shaped articles, e.g. sausages, macaroni, spaghetti, drinking straws, welding electrodes

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for automatically packing sausage links in containers and particularly the handling, grouping, and packing of soft deformable sausage links at high speed.
  • sausage links are being packaged manually and this involves a time consuming labor intensive process.
  • the sausage links must be counted manually and disposed within a container manually with a specific number of sausage links in each row.
  • these containers contain 8 rows of eighteen sausage links.
  • a disadvantage with the counting and handling of these sausage links manually is that it is a time consuming operation; it requires precise manual counting of the number of sausage links to be placed within the container; the sausage links are often damaged when manipulated by hand, particularly if the ends of the casing tube in which the meat is contained is slightly open; and is a costly and slow process due to the intensive labor requirement in order to achieve a reasonable production.
  • Another disadvantage is that due to human handling, extra sanitary care must be taken when manipulating the meat as it is exposed to human environment capable of carrying bacteria.
  • the present invention provides an automatic sausage link packing machine comprising a feed conveyor means for feeding a plurality of spaced apart sausage links in a lengthwise direction.
  • Compartment conveying means is provided for receiving the sausage links in individual compartments and conveying them transversewise in side-by-­side relationship to a group forming station.
  • Sensing means is provided to determine a predetermined quantity of the sausage links at the group forming station to form a predetermined group of sausage links.
  • Unloading means is provided for orienting the formed group of sausage links, in side-by-side contact relationship and unloading them into a container.
  • Control means is provided to permit the feed conveyor means and the compartment conveying means to position a second group of sausage links at the group forming station during the operation cycle of the unloading means.
  • a method for automati­cally packing sausage links in a container comprises the steps of feeding individual links of sausages at a high speed into a respective compartment of compartment conveying means.
  • the compartments and associated sausage links are displaced transversewise with the sausages oriented in side-by-side relationship.
  • Sausage links are counted and fed to the compartments to determined a predetermined quantity thereof at a group forming station.
  • the predetermined quantity of sausage links at the group forming station are then displaced to an unloading station where they are oriented in side-by-side contact relationship and unloaded within a container while a second group of sausage links is being formed at the group forming station.
  • the machine comprises a high speed feed conveyor 11, herein shown as a narrow endless belt, having a receiving end disposed at a link forming station 12 where sausage links 13 are cut from an endless sausage tube 14 and disposed onto the conveyor where they are fed at high speed into individual compartments 14 of a compartment conveyor 15.
  • the compartment conveyor 15 is better illustrated in Figure 3 and consists of an endless belt 16 supported about a drive cylinder 17 and an idle cylinder 18.
  • the cylinder 17 is driven by a step motor 19 which is connected thereto by suitable linkage means such as a timing drive belt 20.
  • the endless belt 16 is provided with a plurality of equidistantly spaced transverse compartment forming walls 21 secured to an outer surface 16 ⁇ of the endless belt 16 with the walls forming a row of elongated displaceable open-ended compartments 14 when displaced over the top flat surface 22 of a movable platform 23.
  • the endless belt 16 has a straight-run section disposed extending parallel above the top flat surface 22 to define four walls having open ends to constitute the compartments into which sausage links are disposed.
  • the feed conveyor 11 is disposed in alignment with a receiving end of the compart­ment conveyor 15.
  • a stationary stop plate 23 is disposed adjacent the conveyor 15, at the receiving end, whereby to block an outer end of the compartments displaced at the receiving end whereby to stop the travel of the sausage links 13 which are fed at high speed within the receiving compartment.
  • the sausage links are guided at the point of entry into a compartment by guide plates 24.
  • guide plates 24 When the sausages are severed at the link forming station, often these sausage links have an irregular formed end, due to the meat product therein, and as soon as the front end of the sausage link hits the stop plate 23, that end is squared off and the meat is slightly compacted back into the casing tube of the sausage link.
  • a control circuit 25 is provided to permit synchronism of the automatic sausage link packing machine.
  • the feed conveyor 11 runs continuously and is driven by motor 11 ⁇ which is provided with a brake and clutch (not shown) and controlled by the control circuit 25.
  • Photo­cell 26 detects the presence of a sausage link 13 at the entry position of the receiving compartment in line with conveyor 15 and sends a signal to the step motor 19 to momentarily start the conveyor 15 to position another compartment at the receiving end in order to accept a sausage link therein.
  • a further photocell 27 is pro­vided to detect adjacent ones of the compartment forming walls 21 whereby to control the operation of the motor to displace one compartment at a time.
  • the signals from photocell 26 are also counted in the control circuit 25 whereby to activate an unloading mechanism which comprises the movable platform 23, the pusher plate 29, and the compacting plates 30 operating in synchronism.
  • a photocell 28 constitutes a third detector device, which detects the distance between the sausage links 13 being displaced lengthwise by the belt conveyor 11.
  • the photocell 28 is also connected to the control circuit 25 to stop the cutter wheel 61 upon detection of a predetermined minimum spacing between the sausage links. If the links are too close, then there is insuf­ficient time for the compartments to be advanced. After rectification, the control circuit is given a signal to release the brake and engage the clutch (not shown) of the motor 11.
  • the movable platform 23 is a rectangular plate having a flat top surface 22 formed of a material suitable for sliding displacement of sausages thereover, such as nylon, or other suitable type plastics material preventing the sausage casings from sticking thereon.
  • the plate is in its unloading position where a predetermined group of sausage tubes, namely eighteen sausage links 13 in predetermined compartments 14, between the drive sprocket 17 and idle sprocket 18, has been moved forwardly by the displacement of the platform 23 in the direction of arrow 34 ⁇ .
  • the sausage links are moved outwardly, they are spaced apart from one another due to the widths of the compartments 14 being larger than the diameter of the sausages, and it is now necessary to reorient the sausages into a side-by-side contact relationship. This is effected by firstly moving the pair of lateral compacting guide plates 30 toward each other, a predetermined distance, whereby the sausage links are brought in substantially side-by-side contact relationship. Thereafter, the group of sausages, as shown at 13 ⁇ , are displaced by the pusher plate 29 from the unloading station, as shown in Figure 1, into a waxed cardboard box or container 31 which is maintained open at a receiving station 32.
  • the movable platform 23 is operated by the air cylinder 33 and after the group of sausages 13 ⁇ has been positioned within the box or container 31, the platform 23 is retracted back to a pick-up position in the direction as indicated by arrow 34.
  • This rearward movement of the platform 23 pushes the sausage links 13 which are resting thereon and disposed in the compartments 14, rearwardly where they abut against an elongated alignment wall 35 where the sausage links are arrested.
  • This wall 35 aligns the links in side-by-side relationship, and further compacts the ends of the sausage links much like the opposite end was compacted when it hit the stop plate 23 at the receiving end of the compartment conveyor 15.
  • a pusher plate 29 comprises essentially a flat vertical plate 36 secured at the end of a boom or cylinder rod 37 which is in turn activated by a cylinder 38 for moving the plate 36 to a first loading position where the plate 36 advances to position 39 to load a first row 40 of sausage links adjacent the back wall 31 ⁇ of the container 31 and in a subsequent stroke moves to a position which is in line with the forward open end 31 ⁇ of the container 31 with a second row of sausage links 40 ⁇ disposed in front of the first row 40.
  • holding means 44 which is disposed at the receiving station 32 and 32 ⁇ , see Figure 1, whereby to retain a box or container 31 in a sausage link receiving or packing position.
  • the holding means comprises a flat support base 45 having an elevated container side wall holding bracket 46 supported above adjacent side edges 45 ⁇ of the base.
  • the bracket 46 has a U-shaped box-retaining channel 47 in a top portion thereof whereby to receive a top portion of the end panels 48 of the container 31 therein.
  • the bottom wall 49 of the box, as well as a portion of the cover 50, which is folded in juxtaposition under the bottom wall 49 are received on top of the support base 45 with the top surface of the bottom wall being aligned substantially in the same plane as the top surface 22 of the movable plat­form 23.
  • the spacing between the base 45 and the bottom of the channels 47 holds the bottom wall 49 of the box firmly in position.
  • an automatic displacement means in the form of a three-stroke piston 51 displaces the container holding means 44 downwardly a distance approximately equal to the thickness of the sausage links whereby further rows of sausage links may be positioned over the bottom rows.
  • a wax paper or other suitable paper sheet having a slippery surface, is positioned over the bottom rows of sausage links to facilitate loading and to further facilitate later separating the sausage links by preventing the row to stick together, particularly if the sausage links are frozen.
  • a piston 52 is activated whereby to move a further container holder 44, also supporting a box, to the loading position 32 as shown in Figure 1.
  • a further container holder 44 also supporting a box
  • the piston 52 retracts the holder 44, in the direction of arrow 53 and back to its initial position.
  • the container engaged by the holder 44 is being filled
  • the container 31 which has been filled is removed from the holder 44 and the cover 50 is hinged back onto the open top end whereby to seal the box.
  • the front wall flat 54 of the carton seals the loading opening 31 ⁇ of the box.
  • this flap 54 does not have a side wall whereby to permit the front edge 55 of the carton to be disposed adjacent the front edge 23 ⁇ of the movable platform 23.
  • FIG. 2 there is shown the provi­sion of further photodetectors 60 which are disposed in alignment with scissor-like cutting elements 61 which are supported at spaced apart intervals along the periphery of a cutting wheel 62. These photodetectors 60 are aligned whereby to detect if the scissor-like cutting elements 61 have properly operated. If the cutting elements 61 have not returned to their initial open position, the cutting wheel 62 is stopped and no further sausage links are conveyed.
  • FIG. 1 there is also provided a chute 65 disposed adjacent the exit end 66 of the compart­ment conveyor 15 whereby to discharge all sausage links engaged in the compartment should it be necessary to clear the machine if there was a malfunction or links missing in the compartments or at the end of operation of the machine.
  • an endless meat casing 14 is fed to a link forming station 12 where the casing is cut into sausage links which are then fed to a compartment conveyor 15 by means of a high speed feed conveyor 11.
  • the conveyor 15 orients a group of sausages in side-by-side relationship at a group forming station.
  • the machine as herein represented can position eighteen sausage links in three seconds at the group forming station.
  • This group of sausages is then displaced by the movable platform 23 to an unloading station in a time frame of about half a second. It takes about three seconds for the unloading mechanism to place the group of sausage links in a container 31 and return the mechanism to its original position ready to push the second group of sausage links.
  • the container is displaced and once filled, a new container is positioned at a loading station.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Container Filling Or Packaging Operations (AREA)
  • Special Conveying (AREA)
  • Attitude Control For Articles On Conveyors (AREA)
EP86401053A 1986-01-29 1986-05-16 Procédé et appareil pour emballer automatiquement des saucisses Withdrawn EP0230795A3 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA500641 1986-01-29
CA500641 1986-01-29

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0230795A2 true EP0230795A2 (fr) 1987-08-05
EP0230795A3 EP0230795A3 (fr) 1988-12-21

Family

ID=4132367

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP86401053A Withdrawn EP0230795A3 (fr) 1986-01-29 1986-05-16 Procédé et appareil pour emballer automatiquement des saucisses

Country Status (1)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0230795A3 (fr)

Cited By (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0456155A1 (fr) * 1990-05-07 1991-11-13 Industries D.M.P. Inc. Machine d'emballage et de manipulation de saucisses en chapelets
FR2739835A1 (fr) * 1995-10-12 1997-04-18 Bonduelle Sa Ets Procede de rangement de produits filiformes tels que, par exemple, des haricots verts ou equivalents, et dispositif pour sa mise en oeuvre
FR2739836A1 (fr) * 1995-10-12 1997-04-18 Bonduelle Sa Ets Procede de rangement de produits filiformes tels que, par exemple, des haricots verts et dispositif pour sa mise en oeuvre
EP0896925A1 (fr) 1997-08-11 1999-02-17 Eurl Le Boutouiller Dispositif pour organiser un flux d'objets allongés, application au conditionnement de saucisses
FR2784353A1 (fr) * 1998-10-12 2000-04-14 Nijal Dispositif de conditionnement de saucisses
DE102004039880A1 (de) * 2004-08-17 2006-02-23 Christof Stimpfl Verfahren und Vorrichtung zum Transport von Würsten
US8215087B2 (en) 2008-12-15 2012-07-10 Kraft Foods Global Brands Llc Apparatus and method of forming a stack of food products within a storage container
CN105966667A (zh) * 2016-06-27 2016-09-28 昆山尚威包装科技有限公司 一种方体物料推送装置
CN106005626A (zh) * 2016-07-18 2016-10-12 江苏佳华新材料科技有限公司 一种化学盒装物传输、分离、打码、分拣系统
CN108077387A (zh) * 2018-02-06 2018-05-29 新希望六和股份有限公司 一种肉肠连续切断与封装的生产线

Citations (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR1238831A (fr) * 1959-07-07 1960-08-19 Raffineries De Sucre De Saint Machine pour le rangement en boîtes de solides identiques
DE1130365B (de) * 1959-09-07 1962-05-24 Unilever Nv Verfahren und Vorrichtung zum Stapeln von Gegenstaenden
US3316103A (en) * 1964-02-27 1967-04-25 Swift & Co Method of packaging sausages and apparatus therefor
US3434603A (en) * 1965-12-27 1969-03-25 Palletizer Corp Loading machine
US3923144A (en) * 1974-03-18 1975-12-02 Langen H J & Sons Ltd Intermittent load accumulator
DE2821898A1 (de) * 1978-05-19 1979-11-22 Bosch Gmbh Robert Vorrichtung zum verpacken von beutelpackungen
US4344523A (en) * 1980-04-14 1982-08-17 Container Corporation Of America Apparatus for accumulating and stacking articles
GB2108458A (en) * 1981-10-23 1983-05-18 Meco Pak Ab Grouping device

Patent Citations (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR1238831A (fr) * 1959-07-07 1960-08-19 Raffineries De Sucre De Saint Machine pour le rangement en boîtes de solides identiques
DE1130365B (de) * 1959-09-07 1962-05-24 Unilever Nv Verfahren und Vorrichtung zum Stapeln von Gegenstaenden
US3316103A (en) * 1964-02-27 1967-04-25 Swift & Co Method of packaging sausages and apparatus therefor
US3434603A (en) * 1965-12-27 1969-03-25 Palletizer Corp Loading machine
US3923144A (en) * 1974-03-18 1975-12-02 Langen H J & Sons Ltd Intermittent load accumulator
DE2821898A1 (de) * 1978-05-19 1979-11-22 Bosch Gmbh Robert Vorrichtung zum verpacken von beutelpackungen
US4344523A (en) * 1980-04-14 1982-08-17 Container Corporation Of America Apparatus for accumulating and stacking articles
GB2108458A (en) * 1981-10-23 1983-05-18 Meco Pak Ab Grouping device

Cited By (11)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0456155A1 (fr) * 1990-05-07 1991-11-13 Industries D.M.P. Inc. Machine d'emballage et de manipulation de saucisses en chapelets
FR2739835A1 (fr) * 1995-10-12 1997-04-18 Bonduelle Sa Ets Procede de rangement de produits filiformes tels que, par exemple, des haricots verts ou equivalents, et dispositif pour sa mise en oeuvre
FR2739836A1 (fr) * 1995-10-12 1997-04-18 Bonduelle Sa Ets Procede de rangement de produits filiformes tels que, par exemple, des haricots verts et dispositif pour sa mise en oeuvre
EP0896925A1 (fr) 1997-08-11 1999-02-17 Eurl Le Boutouiller Dispositif pour organiser un flux d'objets allongés, application au conditionnement de saucisses
FR2784353A1 (fr) * 1998-10-12 2000-04-14 Nijal Dispositif de conditionnement de saucisses
DE102004039880A1 (de) * 2004-08-17 2006-02-23 Christof Stimpfl Verfahren und Vorrichtung zum Transport von Würsten
US8215087B2 (en) 2008-12-15 2012-07-10 Kraft Foods Global Brands Llc Apparatus and method of forming a stack of food products within a storage container
CN105966667A (zh) * 2016-06-27 2016-09-28 昆山尚威包装科技有限公司 一种方体物料推送装置
CN106005626A (zh) * 2016-07-18 2016-10-12 江苏佳华新材料科技有限公司 一种化学盒装物传输、分离、打码、分拣系统
CN108077387A (zh) * 2018-02-06 2018-05-29 新希望六和股份有限公司 一种肉肠连续切断与封装的生产线
CN108077387B (zh) * 2018-02-06 2023-02-28 新希望六和股份有限公司 一种肉肠连续切断与封装的生产线

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP0230795A3 (fr) 1988-12-21

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